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The Malawi national schools team risks registering losses in this weekend’s Cocacola schools soccer challenge following the absence of three players whose exceptional skills were evident during the national finals of the tournament last week.
The players, Young Chimodzi Junior, Victor Nyirenda and Chukepo Msowoya, all from the North will not be featured this weekend when Malawi hosts the fifth edition of the Cocacola International Schools Challenge.
The team’s coach John Kaputa said in an interview yesterday the coaching panel will miss the players.
“I saw them playing during the national finals and the selection panel selected them and recommended them for camping.
“But they never communicated to me why they were not in camp and I was just looking forward to seeing them coming,” said Kaputa.
Kaputa said original squad of 34 has been trimmed to 22 and will also be further reduced to 18 by Wednesday.
But Malawi Schools Sports Association (Massa), who are organising the regional tournament, said in an interview through their secretary general Justin Saidi that the players are missing the camp because of family problems.
“For Nyirenda and Msowoya, I am told that their parents left the country for Tanzania for personal business and their homes are being looked after by their sisters who also go to school so they cannot leave them.
“As for Chimodzi Junior, he refused to go to camp because he said he wants to concentrate on his school,” said Saidi.
But Kaputa also complained that some players, who did not participate in national finals, have joined camp.
But Saidi explained these were Super League players and they were not featured during the national finals because the association wanted to give chance to the budding talent.
The Cocacola international schools soccer tournament started in 2000 and the inaugural champions were Zimbabwe. Malawi won the tournament in 2001 and 2002.
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